Canadian farmers think weeds are becoming more difficult to control, but they still aren’t using multiple modes of herbicides to combat resistant weeds, a BASF Canada survey has concluded.
An Ipsos Reid telephone survey of 500 Canadian growers, conducted on behalf of BASF Canada last December, determined more farmers are worried about herbicide resistant weeds.
In results released yesterday, 63 percent of producers said weeds in their crops are getting tougher to control, which is up seven percent from a previous BASF survey done in March 2012.
In addition, 43 percent of growers think they have herbicide resistant weeds on their land, and 47 percent said glyphosate, alone, is no longer effective. The results represent, respectively, a six percent and seven percent increase from the March 2012 survey.
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In contrast, 67 percent of growers strongly agreed when asked if they use multiple modes of action to kill weeds, a decrease of 10 percent from the previous survey.
While the questions were different, the responses are similar to the findings of a Certified Crop Advisor email survey. Growers are aware of herbicide resistance but are reluctant to take action on their farm.
Amy Asmus, CCA International chair, sent out a survey earlier this year to assess the views of crop advisers before she participated in a panel discussion at the Weed Science Society of America annual meeting in Baltimore in early February.
“I was a little nervous sharing my views. I wanted to (provide) a broader view and the survey allowed me to have certified Crop advisers and certified professional agronomists get their input in,” said Asmus, a co-owner of Asmus Farm Supply in Iowa.
In her survey, she found that 40 percent of growers would change practices to tackle herbicide resistant weeds only if the problem appeared on their farm. Another 24 percent were willing to consider best management practices, but the additional cost and time curbs their preventive efforts.
“I find with some of our larger growers, they think they (are) progressive. When push comes to shove … they have good intentions, but sometime that falls to time or weather constraints.”
